Connecticut Water Trails Association
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Connecticut Water Trails Association |
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Connecticut Water Trails Program History Of Connecticut's Water Trails History of Mills In Connecticut
Georgetown -
Old Red Mill
- by Wilbur F. Thompson & notes by Brent M. Colley
Just above the Lower Factory Pond was the location of perhaps Gilbert & Bennett's most famous mill, the Old Red Mill. The Old Red Mill was where G&B would come up with an innovation that was so versatile it would propel the company to greatness…Woven Wire. The list of woven wire applications and products is far too long to discuss in this document but I assure you it is one heck of an impressive list.
Some years after the War of the Revolution closed,
David Coley of Kettle Creek, Fairfield (now Weston) moved to Georgetown.
Coley was an iron worker who bought a mill site in the same location as
what would become the Old Red Mill on the
Norwalk River; he built a dam and shop, put in a wooden water
shed, a furnace for smelting iron ore, a trip hammer, and commenced
business. Many kinds of iron goods were made, ploughshare points,
shovels and irons, cranes, pots and kettles, and ovens. This industry
gave work to quite a number of men and continued for many years until
Coley gave up the business and the shop was left vacant. Later it was
burned.
In 1821 Winslow and Booth ran a comb factory on
Coley's iron works site, erecting a small shop. This business continued
for some time and gave employment to quite a number of people as well.
Cheaper grades of combs were made of cattle horns. The finer grades of
women's side and back combs were made of tortoise shell. They like Coley
gave up their business and moved away.
Gilbert & Bennett Co. in 1834 bought the mill site, rebuilt the mill dam and built the shop long afterward known as the Old Red Mill. A wooden water wheel was built to furnish power. The mill had two stories and a basement. The top floors used for curled hair production, the basement was where the sieve rims were steamed and bent into shape.
In 1836 G&B experimented with drawn wire in an
attempt to improve upon the woven horse hair products they were selling
at this time. The experiment was a success and they quickly began
furnishing the Old Red Mill and Old Red Shop with modified carpet looms
to produce their "wire cloth". The production of cheese and meat safes
soon followed. Following the introduction of hard coal for fuel, a coal
ash sifter or riddle was invented. Later woven wire ox muzzles entered
the product line, then they discovered glue dried very well on woven
wire and came off much easier than the cotton cloth in use at the time.
The product line grew year by year until they came up with the ultimate
application…insect screens or as we call them today window screens. The
insect screen was an instant hit on the market, cheesecloth was in use
prior to this so you can imagine the improvement it made.
The Lower Factories came into play soon after. By the 1860's sieve production along with other branches were moved into other shops and the Old Red Mill was used for drawing fine wire and later for tinning and galvanizing wire.
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